Last updated on June 30th, 2023 at 11:30 am

Looking for fun things to see and do in Amsterdam on a short weekend getaway? Look no further. In this Amsterdam itinerary blog post, we’ll share our best picks to spend 3-days in the city.

‘God created the world but the Dutch created Holland’. As this saying goes, Holland is literally below sea level. Going beyond the cliche, Amsterdam which is officially in the Holland region of the Netherlands (the country) offers so much more than windmills and tulips. There are more bikes than people here, meandering canals, crazy party scene; it’s also aptly called ‘Venice of the North.’

If you have more than three days to spend then consider taking these awesome day trips from Amsterdam or visit the Venice of Netherlands i.e. Giethoorn.

Transportation in Amsterdam City

Amsterdam has excellent local public transportation which includes trains, buses, and trams. It is very convenient to take the trains from Schipol airport to get to the city. To top it all, there is free WiFi available in almost every public transportation.

If you are buying the City Pass for Amsterdam attractions you have an option to include transportation in it. We skipped the I Amsterdam Pass for individual entry fee since it was turning out to be more economical for our short visit. You can buy the pass either from the kiosks in Schiphol Airport or at the ticket counter at any train station.

What to do in Amsterdam in 3 days

Although small in area, Amsterdam is a very diverse city. English is spoken fluently along with Dutch. One of the first grasping images of this city is it’s closely tied together multistory houses. 

Fun Fact: In order to pay lower land taxes Dutch started building multistory houses on tiny pieces of land. It’s one of the reasons why these houses are so tall with no gap in between them.

1. Bike through the city

Amsterdam is a proud bike loving city which is evident by the millions of bikes you see on the streets either zooming by you or parked at the first convenient spot available. There’s another saying, that as a pedestrian you are more likely to be run over by a bike than a car in Amsterdam.

So to fit in the local spirit we signed up for a city bike tour with Mike’s Bike Tour. It was such a fun experience that I highly recommend you guys to take either a tour or rent a bike and roam around at your own leisure.

The bike tour was a nice way to see Amsterdam with a guide who knew the bike laws as well as the tidbits around the city.

2. Canal Cruise

Another great way to see Amsterdam from a different perspective is hopping on one of these colorful boats on the canals. There are plenty of entry ports including one right outside Amsterdam Centraal Station from where you can catch a canal cruise.

3. Local Breweries & Nightlife

Try the locally brewed Dutch beer at local tap houses and bars. Some of the places we loved local beer are Brouwerij ‘t IJ, Beer Temple, Cafe Gollem.  And if you must to do the touristy stuff, then by all means head for the Heineken Experience. It was a fun experience in Heineken but as for the quality beer… umm… we recommend heading to a local bar instead.

Some of these bars hosts live music or turn into nightclubs on weekends after 10 pm, for nightlife we suggest you head to Leidseplein Square. You’ll get to experience a local band playing or the true taste of European trance, psychedelic, and house music.

4. Museums  

There is a lot of history and art ingrained in Amsterdam which once was a very rich trading port. If Italian artists got commissioned by the Vatican then the Dutch artists, such as the famous Rembrandt, got commissioned by the local rich traders to paint themselves.

Art Lovers:

• Head to Museum Square and explore the classic collection of Rembrandt at Rijksmuseum. 
• The iconic ‘I Amsterdam’ sign is right behind the Rijksmuseum. 
• Within the museum square, is also the Master Impressionist Van Gogh Museum, which was my personal favorite.

HISTORY BUFFS:

I still remember reading the chilling life story of a little Jewish girl from Amsterdam. You can go on a tour of  Anne Frank’s house in the Jordaan neighborhood and see how she lived during a horrifying period in history. Jordaan District is a lively neighborhood today visit in Amsterdam.  TIP: Buy Anne Frank’s House tour tickets in advance to avoid waiting in long lines.

5. Feeling Adventurous?

Amsterdam has a lot of things legalized one of which is legal cannabis. Funny enough the different forms of legalized marihuana available at the coffee shops and there is one at every corner in Amsterdam. If that’s not enough, take a stroll through the famous legalized Red Light District in the city. And it goes without saying this adventure is strictly PG21!

6. Keukenhof Park and Flower Fields

If you happen to travel to Holland in spring i.e. anywhere from mid-March to mid-May then you HAVE TO visit Keukenhof Park near Amsterdam. This park is the largest outdoor display of tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and many other varieties of flowers. Read about our experience visiting Keukenhof Park and seeing tulip fields.

If you cannot make it in spring then no worries just give a short visit to the flower auctions at Aalsmeer. It’s world’s largest flower auction and is open year round. 

7. For the Foodies

Being a multicultural city, Amsterdam offers a variety of international cuisines. Given that Indonesia was once a Dutch colony, today Indonesia’s culture and cuisine have a big influence on the food scene here.  We loved Sampurna Restaurant for Indonesian food and Bird Restaurant for Thai food. 

While you’re at it, don’t forget to try these 12 food items from Dutch menu in the local markets. If you are experimental with your food then get a local experience with Herring, a raw dutch preparation of the fish. And don’t miss tasting the traditional sweet cookie ‘Stroopwafel’.

To sum it all up, this is a city that symbolizes fun and that’s exactly what you end up after spending 3-days in Amsterdam. And let me add Amsterdam is a very kid-friendly city as long as you follow the PG21 rule I mentioned above. 

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Happy Travelling!